Anyone who's followed Mary Timony over the past 20 years has seen her virtuosic guitar playing take many different forms. Throughout her time playing in Autoclave, Helium, the Spells, Mind Science of the Mind and her solo work, Timony's style has been snaky, hypnotic riffs that gave her a unique signature.
Even in the rockin' supergroup Wild Flag, Timony's winding axe work could be detected amongst Carrie Brownstein's Sleater-Kinney-esque leads. But that's all changed with Ex Hex, Timony's latest band with Laura Harris and Betsey Wright. Taking cues from the sugary riffs of '70s glam and power pop, Timony has reprogrammed her hands to shred like she's been possessed by the souls of Dwight Twilley and Suzi Quatro.
Described by Timony as a gang, Ex Hex are all about air guitar-inducing punchy riffs and sizzling solos. It's pretty obvious to see why Timony wanted to be in this band: the trio instil a heavy swagger into the entire album, which never really loses its momentum. At times, they sound like a more coherent Royal Trux ("How You Got That Girl"), a horror-free Misfits ("You Fall Apart") and sometimes even the greatest rock'n'roll band on Earth ("New Kid").
But the reason why Ex Hex Rips is so triumphant is that it easily attains its simple goal of presenting a total blast for the listener to savour. Or to take the title's bait, Ex Hex Rips rips.
Read our story on Ex Hex's new album here.
(Merge Records)Even in the rockin' supergroup Wild Flag, Timony's winding axe work could be detected amongst Carrie Brownstein's Sleater-Kinney-esque leads. But that's all changed with Ex Hex, Timony's latest band with Laura Harris and Betsey Wright. Taking cues from the sugary riffs of '70s glam and power pop, Timony has reprogrammed her hands to shred like she's been possessed by the souls of Dwight Twilley and Suzi Quatro.
Described by Timony as a gang, Ex Hex are all about air guitar-inducing punchy riffs and sizzling solos. It's pretty obvious to see why Timony wanted to be in this band: the trio instil a heavy swagger into the entire album, which never really loses its momentum. At times, they sound like a more coherent Royal Trux ("How You Got That Girl"), a horror-free Misfits ("You Fall Apart") and sometimes even the greatest rock'n'roll band on Earth ("New Kid").
But the reason why Ex Hex Rips is so triumphant is that it easily attains its simple goal of presenting a total blast for the listener to savour. Or to take the title's bait, Ex Hex Rips rips.
Read our story on Ex Hex's new album here.
